An online article in Africa Business Magazine explains how Zimbabwe’s small-scale mixed crop-livestock farmers are benefiting from cultivating sunn hemp. Continue reading
Category Archives: Regions
A better backyard chicken for Africa could help save the continent’s diminishing wildlife populations
The idea that the humble chicken could become a savior of wildlife will seem improbable to many environmentalists. But as the human population grows at a rate that rapidly outpaces the ability of natural habitats to feed it, a better backyard chicken could be a real hope for people and wildlife alike. Continue reading
On the two central, and under-resourced, assets of the developing world: Women and livestock
An interesting discussion took place at a news conference that followed the policy session on Thursday morning (11 May 2017), the fourth of this five-day Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Meeting of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock. A member of the audience asked the following question of the distinguished panel members, who included ministerial rank leaders of livestock development agenda in several African countries. Continue reading
ILRI vacancy: Head of Communications and Knowledge Management
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a Head, Communications and Knowledge Management (CKM) to manage and lead ILRI’s communications and knowledge management work to deliver on ILRI’s mission. Continue reading
Recent drought-induced livestock losses in East Africa mask deeper problem of animal feed scarcities
The following excerpts are taken from an opinion piece on Brachiaria grass for livestock feed published by An Notenbaert, tropical forages coordinator for Africa at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and published by Business Daily (Kenya) and the CIAT Blog. Continue reading
Delivering smart climate change adaptation and mitigation options for East African agriculture
On 30 May 2017, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) held a science seminar at ILRI’s campus in Nairobi on delivering climate change options for the region. Participants shared knowledge and discussed best practices—and persistent gaps—in climate change adaptation and mitigation options for East Africa’s millions of small-scale food producers. Continue reading
Expanding livestock insurance coverage in Turkana—and across all of Kenya’s great dryland pastoral communities
The following excerpts of an opinion piece were written by ILRI’s Andrew Mude and originally published by The Standard newspaper (Kenya): Insurance only way to guard against weather-gone-awry phenomenon, 28 Apr 2017. Continue reading
Climate-smart Brachiaria grass helps Kenyan farmers withstand global warming effects
A recent study by the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute Hub (BecA-ILRI Hub) and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) shows that farmers in semi-arid region of Kenya could stall the adverse effects of climate change on their farms by planting drought-tolerant Brachiaria grass. Continue reading
African genomes: The world’s richest human diversity is being explored, at long last
The genomes of Africans and people of recent African descent house a huge amount of diversity that scientists have only begun to explore. Continue reading
Over-diagnosis of the milk-linked brucellosis disease in Kenya found—New study
Thousands of Kenyans are being wrongly diagnosed and treated for the milk linked disease brucellosis, reveals a new study. Now researchers at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) and six international institutions, want the responsible test withdrawn from public hospitals. Continue reading